With the arrival of Cinco de Mayo—the May 5 celebration of Mexico’s quest for democracy and freedom that commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862—we’d like to share the method we used for tortilla-making party we enjoyed in the kitchen of fellow hobby farmers Clay and Kristi Smith of Monroe, Wis.

As many of you know, record temperatures were set across many parts of the United States this March, evidence of a changing environment. We’re adapting on our farm, Inn Serendipity, by producing more renewable energy and savoring fresh food from our gardens more months of the year.

Eating farmsteadtarian is about being on a first-name basis with your farmer, so we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to tour an almond farm—one of the 5,300 that supply the farmer-owned Blue Diamond Cooperative with these super-nutritious, versatile and easy-to-cook-with nuts.

Born in 1921, in Minneapolis, Minn., she’s the author of more than 150 cookbooks. Her name, as familiar in most American kitchens as Julia Childs and Martha Stewart, has headlined cooking schools throughout the country, and her trademark signature graces packages of everything from cake mixes to Hamburger Helper.

Who doesn’t like a glass of orange juice, especially during these winter-month mornings when our bodies crave vitamin C? You probably have an image natural, fresh-squeezed juice from an Eden-like garden in Florida, but the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sometimes less of a high-quality thing beats heaps of average. Take cheese, for example. For our farmstead feasts, we’ve learned to focus on using local, high-quality, European-style or artisanal cheeses.